"Both credible and possible," I said, and then I told him all, as I have told you. "Mon Dieu!" cried Jean, when I had made an end. "We must not wait while your Queen dallies. A ransom! I know a score of his friends who will give bonds for goodly sums——" "Ay, truly," I said, interrupting him, "and the first of them should be his uncle and heir." Jean stopped in his restless pacing of the floor, and looked at me very strangely. "Why yes," he said, "his uncle, to be sure. But the Count is close-fisted; ’twas indeed a surprise to all the country-side when, after that he had entered into possession of Torcy—an estate of greater worth than his own—he showed himself a very niggard." "Think you that he would refuse his mite in so good a cause?" I said. Again Jean looked strangely at me, and for a while was silent. Then he said slowly— "My friend, I ween we had best say nought to the Count de Sarney." "Nevertheless, I go to him to-morrow," I replied. "Miser he may be, and ’tis clean against his interest, to be sure, to bring back the lawful owner of Torcy, and thereby dispossess himself. Yet if his duty be put to him, as I shall put it, I doubt not he will comply." "I will go with you," said Jean. "Nay, I am minded to go alone, or rather with none but my mariner. ’Twill be better so. Be assured I will acquaint you with the issue. And I beg you, Jean," I said earnestly, "that you speak no word of what I have told you, at least for this present time." "I will be mute as a fish," said he, "but I shall think the more." *II* On the morrow, early in the morning, we saddled our horses, Stubbs and I, a thing we always performed ourselves, Stubbs somewhat fumblingly, I own, until practice gave him deftness and ease. ’Twas thirty miles to Torcy, that lay southerly from Dieppe, but we made such good speed that the sun was not yet in the zenith when we arrived at the château. The Count was within doors, said the lackey that opened the great gate of the park to us, and we rode up the avenue of chestnuts, just bourgeoning into leaf, and came after some three furlongs to the house. The man that admitted me, an ancient retainer of Raoul’s whom I knew very well, changed hue when he saw me, and asked me with trembling voice whether I had brought news of his master. I did not give him a direct answer, but bade him lead me at once to the Count, feeling not a little pleasure that the new lord still kept the old man in his service. He conducted me through the passages that I had last trod with Raoul himself, and brought me into the little chamber wherein I had passed many a merry evening with my friend. Stubbs meanwhile remained in the outer porch, ready to follow me at my summons. I waited some while before the Count entered. He was a man of mean stature, very lean and dry, and with a grave cast of countenance wherein I discerned no likeness to the jolly favour of his nephew.